Haunted
by cookiesandcream91
Summary: [AU] Those teal eyes against flaming red hair always intimidated her whenever he would stare at her. Although she was close with his siblings, she always maintained some distance from him. But that would all change the moment a demon starts targeting her & she has no choice but to accept the protection from the man who she always told herself to stay away from. [GaaIno]
1. Chapter 1

It was late as Inochi walked up the concrete steps. Wearing black jeans with a long sleeve blue shirt, he stood in front of the old church doors. He thought about the last time he walked inside a church and let out a small chuckle. He didn't remember. When it came to visiting the priest, they always met at a bar. Yes, his priest friend enjoyed a couple of beers here and there. However, the reason for his visit was different this time and he knew it would be better to meet at a church. Deep down in his mind, he figured that talking to his friend under the eyes of God would provide him some type of protection. But Inoichi wasn't a religious man. In truth, he just wasn't sure what to do.

Sighing, he opened the doors and looked inside. The church was small and old, built almost forty years ago. However, the priest did a good job at keeping the place in good shape. Rows of benches were situated on the right and left sides of the church. Yards away from Inoichi stood a large religious statue. Behind the statue sat a large piano; and narrowing his eyes, Inoichi saw the priest sitting down with a book in his hand.

Inoichi walked inside the church house, hearing the doors behind him close slowly. Lit candles surrounded the place and Inoichi stopped for a second in front of the religious statue. Bowing his head slightly in respect, he gave a small prayer. Whether God listened or not, who knows. But he figured that it didn't hurt to say a small prayer.

Standing straight, he walked towards the stage and looked at his friend.

"Pleasure seeing you in church for once, Inoichi." the priest said, his eyes still on the book in his hands.

Inoichi nodded and smiled. "You know I'm not a man of God, Kakashi."

The priest chuckled with a nod. "Oh, I know that. And considering you finally set foot inside one, I say that you must be needing something from me."

Kakashi was smart. Although Inoichi considered the man a friend, there was a lot he didn't know about the priest. However, one thing that he did know about the religious man was that before putting on the priest robe on and picking up a bible, Kakashi worked for a dangerous mob group as an assassin.

"There's something I need your advice on." Inoichi said, grabbing a stool and sitting down. "I broke my deal with Him."

Kakashi set the book on top of the piano and looked at him, the bottom half of his face covered with the collar of his robe.

"You..._what_?"

"I stole the orb back, and I'm going to destroy it." Inoichi said, eyebrows furrowing in determination.

"He's going to find out, and he's going to go after you."

"I know," he replied with a nod and a shrug of one shoulder. "But I'm going to make sure it's destroyed before he's even aware of it. Making a deal with Him was the biggest mistake I could have ever made. But I need to break my ties with Him. There's no point in living if I'm constantly having to look behind my shoulder or check the bottom of my car."

Kakashi gave him a long sigh before picking up his book again. "Make sure you destroy it by nightfall. And God bless you, my friend. You're going to need it."

* * *

Ino could hear the laughter behind the door of the house. Before knocking, she checked her outfit to make sure there were no stains or wrinkles. She wore a purple mini dress that reached just a few inches below her butt and showed a small amount of cleavage. Since it was her friend's birthday party, she decided to leave her hair down and her bangs neatly clipped behind one ear. The laughter behind the door grew louder and she wondered what was going on inside.

Ringing the doorbell, she stood about a foot away from the door and held a 'Happy Birthday' gift bag in her left hand. The night was beautiful and fresh, which she was glad for. She despised cold winters and bruttling hot summers.

The door in front of her opened revealing a brown haired boy. He had a red cup in his right hand and by the wide grin he was giving her, Ino could tell that Kankuro was approaching his limit.

"Blondie!" he yelled, opening the door wider and widening his arms for a hug.

Rolling his eyes at him, Ino stepped inside and hugged him. "Already drunk I see." she stated, looking at the content inside his drink.

"It's not a party if I'm not." he smirked before motioning her towards the large living room where the part was being held.

She stepped inside and looked around, putting names to faces immediately. There were a few people she didn't know at all. However, she recognized majority. On one corner of the room, Ino recognized a brown-haired hair girl with a man with peculiar eyes. Tenten and Neji, Ino recalled. She had met Tenten a few times in the past and was aware that the girl was seeing someone belonging to a rich family. With the way that the man had one arm around her while checking his smart watch with the other, Ino knew that that was the man belonging to the rich family.

Not too far away from them stood a guy with a puppy, and she recognized him as Kiba. Kiba was telling something to a guy dressed in all green and with a hideous bowl-shaped haircut. Rock Lee. Despite his out-of-this-world personality, Ino sometimes liked being around Rock Lee. Sometimes, of course…

"I see you finally made it."

Turning around, Ino saw Shikamaru walk towards her with some whiskey in his hand. It's been months since she had last seen him. Out of everyone in the house, she knew Shikamaru the longest. As a matter of fact, it was him who introduced her to Temari and Kankuro a couple of years ago.

She gave him a quick hug. "Where's Temari? I see everyone else getting drunk without her."

"She's in the back talking to her brother."

Ino tilted her head slightly and turned around. "But Kankuro's right there…"

Shikamaru snorted and shook his head. "You know there's another-"

"That's right…. H-He's here?"

"Yeah, he's back." Shikamaru said. He saw the strange look on her face. "He's actually not bad, Ino."

Ino moved closer to him and looked around with her eyes, making sure that no one else was around them. "He just...makes me nervous."

Shikamaru smirked at her, shaking his head. "Why? What has he done to you? And how many times have you seen him before?"

"He's done nothing. And I've seen him maybe...one...or twice before. He just...When he looks at me...I feel like he hates me."

"You're thinking about it too much." he replied. "Come on, Temari's about to come in and he's here...so just don't let his spooky stares get to you."

Ino rolled her eyes at him and followed him as he led her to his fiancee. Temari walked inside the house wearing a beautiful white mid-sleeved dress and bright pink earrings and pink high heels. Her face lit up the moment she saw Ino walking towards her.

"You're finally here! Now we can get really drunk!" Temari exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Yes! But before we do, this is for you! Happy Birthday!"

Ino gave the birthday bag to her, watching as Temari opened it and gasped. She pulled out a white louis vuitton handbag. Next to them Shikamaru shook his head, muttering to himself about how Temari already owned too many handbags. But he knew better than to voice his opinion during her birthday. Instead, he nodded his head when she gave him the bag and asked him to place it in their bedroom.

"Come have a drink." Temari said, grabbing Ino by her hand and dragging her towards the table with numerous bottles of alcohol on top.

"Not too much, Temari." Ino said, watching as the birthday girl mixed a few drinks for her. "You know I need to get home later."

"You can sleep over if you want!" her friend replied, handing her the cup.

"I'll see…" Ino said. Knowing that her youngest brother was in the house made her feel nervous and she knew that it was better to not stay over. Therefore, she told herself to keep at three drinks...max.

Ino took a sip of the drink and let out a small cough, not realizing initially how strong Temari made it. The alcohol burned her throat and made her eyes watery and Ino immediately looked for water. Clearly her alcohol tolerance has decreased…

Noticing that there was no water nearby, she rushed towards the kitchen with the drink in her hand. Music began to blast and she knew that Temari had probably dragged Shikamaru to the dance floor by now.

Ino cursed herself for not sipping her drink more slowly. She could feel her face getting warmer and figured that her face as probably bright pink by now. Opening her eyes, she noticed a hand holding a glass cup of water in front of her and looking up, she slightly flinched as teal eyes met hers.

His red hair was slightly longer by the back and sides, and he bore the same facial expression as last year when she last saw him briefly. He wore dark gray slacks with a dark red long sleeve button-down shirt. She felt her heart race faster and wondered how he could keep his face expressionless.

Looking down at the cup he held towards her, she grabbed it and trembled as their fingers met briefly. Ino muttered a thanks to him and quickly hurried out of the kitchen, amazingly her cough already gone.

The shots were lined up in a neat row, and Naruto looked nervous. On his left stood an enthusiastic Rock Lee and on his right stood a determined Temari. In front of them stood Kankuro with a stopwatch.

"Alright on the count of three, whoever can take ten shots of tequila in thirty seconds wins!"

Ino watched with a smile as Shikamaru placed a kiss on Temari's temple, sheering her on.

"Three...Two...One...Go!" Kankuro said, and immediately the three of them began to take their shots.

Ino took a sip of her drink, feeling the content finally loosen her nerves. She laughed as she saw Naruto give up on his fifth shot and Hinata quickly run up to him as he stumbled back. Rock Lee stopped at his seventh shot, and Temari at her eight.

Years ago, Ino would have joined them and probably beat them. But while studying for her nursing degree, she had taken it slow with alcohol and getting back to her old habits was easier said than done. She looked at her phone for the time and casually looked around.

Almost immediately, her eyes landed on him as he stared back at her. He was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest, and Ino wondered what he was thinking. The stare he was giving her made her feel uncomfortable, and Ino looked away. However, she could still feel his eyes on her and she looked at him again. He continued to stare at her and a sense of embarrassment began to hit her. Was her outfit too revealing? His stare wasn't flirtatious or sexual… It was more serious and almost demeaning. Ino shifted in her seat uncomfortably and pulled the skirt of her dress down a bit.

Ino didn't realize that the competition was over until she heard loud clapping and saw a boasting Rock Lee running around.

Temari turned down the music and tapped her glass with a cup.

"Thank you all for coming!" she said, and Ino was amazed at how clear she sounded considering the amount of alcohol in her system. "Before the night ends, I have an important announcement to make! Our father is taking a sabbatical for almost a year, and therefore Gaara will be in charge of the family business. He has the best experience for that! Congrats, little brother!"

Ino raised her eyebrows in surprise as the room began to clap. She placed her drink down and clapped as well.

"That's freaking awesome, Gaara!" Naruto said, patting the red-head on his back.

"Thank you, everyone." Gaara said, his eyes scanning the room before quickly landing on hers.

Ino stared back at him and gave him a small smile. Although she still felt intimidated by his presence, she knew that such an opportunity was rarely given to someone his age.

The party resumed with Ino catching him staring at her numerous times. What made her more nervous was the fact that he never looked away when she would catch him. Did he want her to know that he was looking at her?

Sipping her last drink, Ino checked her phone and groaned as she noticed that it was close to two in the morning. She walked towards Shikamaru, who happened to be holding a very tired Temari by his side.

"It's getting late, I need to get going."

"Want me to call you a cab?" he asked.

Ino shook her head. "N-no, that's fine. You know I don't live far from here. And I'm not that drunk."

"No, let me see if Kankuro can walk you home."

"Kankuro's asleep in the living room, and most people left already."

"Then let me check with Gaara-"

"N-No, that's fine. I'm honestly not that tipsy. I'll be fine. I'll text you as soon as I get home!"

Reaching for her handbag, Ino waved at her friend and left before he could protest. Although the town she lived in was mostly safe, she knew that walking at two am in a mini-dress was probably not the best idea. Bars were still opened during this time. Nonetheless, her small apartment was about a fifteen minute walk and she knew that if she jogged, she could get there in ten.

However, she was far from tipsy and knew that if she tried to jog, she would just end up falling on the ground and ruining her dress. Walk it is then.

She checked her phone to see how much distance she had left to her apartment and groaned. Her small high heels were starting to hurt her and she wished she had at least burrowed Temari's running shoes. She quickened her pace as she began to pass by some bars. Ignoring the whistles and sexual comments by men standing outside with their beer, Ino took a right turn quickly. She could see her apartment building was just a few more long blocks away and she began to feel satisfaction.

However, that satisfaction was suddenly replaced with fear as she felt a cold tight grip on her arm. Before she could register what was happening, she felt her body midair before hitting the concrete ground.

Ino groaned in pain as she tried to sit up. However, her head had hit the ground hard and she was having a hard time registering what was going on.

"I knew finding you wasn't that hard."

Ino heard a low growl say. Finally opening her eyes, she looked ahead and gasped as a man with bright yellow eyes jumped on top of her. She opened her mouth to scream but his hand quickly covered her mouth.

"No screaming, or else your death will be more painful, Ino Yamanaka."

Ino's eyebrows furrowed as she wondered how he knew her name. She began to move her legs frantically as she saw the man's facial expression change as hair began to grow from all over his body and his nose resembled that of a wolf. Tears began to roll down her face as the man, who now seemed to have transformed into a beast, leaned down towards her and took a long sniff before bearing his large canine teeth.

"I'm about to rip this pretty little neck of -"

Ino gasped loudly as she suddenly felt that the man was no longer on top of her. Groaning in pain as she began to sit up, she saw the hairy creature hit the ground hard as a large body of sand swirled around him. She looked at the sand strangely, wondering how there was even sand in the middle of the city.

She saw the creature snarling at something, or someone, behind her and turning around, she gasped as she saw Gaara standing there with his arm extended. Sand swirled around his arm and it took her a couple of seconds to realize that he was the one controlling the sand.

The creature that attacked her made a disgusting sound and Ino looked back at it, screaming as she saw the sand contract and suddenly squeeze the creature tight. Blood began to pour out from the sand and Ino looked with wide eyes. She heard footsteps behind her and saw as Gaara walked towards the large pile of sand. She heard him say something before all of the sudden the sand swirled around and disappeared.

_Did he… Did he just do that? Did he just kill that thing?_

Ino didn't realize he had walked towards her until she felt his presence right in front of. She quickly flinched back as she saw Gaara kneel in front of her on one knee. She stared at him with wide eyes as she saw his hand touch her bruised knee. His eyes travelled upwards as he looked at her bruised arms.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" he suddenly asked.

Ino took a moment to respond, her mind finally registering the severity of her injuries. Her knee was badly scraped, as well as her arms. But the injury that hurt her the most was on the back of her head. Tilting her head sideways, Ino groaned as she felt some liquid by the back of her head. As a nurse, she knew that she would have to get her head checked out for any concussions or other internal injuries.

He closed the space between them and Ino almost jumped backwards as Gaara's left hand reached out and touched the back of her head.

"You have a head injury."

She gave him a slight nod as she felt her eyes become heavy.

_Don't faint...Don't faint...Don't…._

Ino gave him a confused look as he shifted to her side before picking her up bridal style.

"Wh-What...What…"

Gaara looked down at her, and for once she saw his eyes soften. She saw his lips move slowly but couldn't register what he said as darkness took over, pushing her to unconsciousness.

* * *

Author's Note: What do you think? This is completely AU, taking place in the 21st century but there's still some magical things going on. Please leave a review so I know whether to continue or throw this out. This idea came to me yesterday.

Please review! Provide feedback! Criticism welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

Ino groaned as she felt a bright light hit her face. Her head ached terribly, as if a large boulder had hit her head. Moving to her side, Ino opened her eyes and looked at her knee, her body finaling registering the pain in her knee, arms, and legs.

Sitting up carefully, she examined the large bandage on her knee, wondering when she ever bandaged her knee. Closing her eyes, Ino began to recall last night. She had been at Temari's birthday party until two am. She had four drinks, maybe five, and decided to walk home. Her apartment hadn't been that far, but then she had been attacked by some stranger with yellow eyes. And he had known her name. He had threatened her but then she had been rescued. Ino remembered the floating sand considering there was no sand in the city. Rubbing her temples, she recalled turning around and seeing…

_Gaara!_

Ino opened her eyes as she finally remembered all of the events. He had appeared out of nowhere and killed the man. Somehow, he was able to manipulate the sand. "That couldn't have happened." Ino mumbled to herself. "There's no way someone can just make sand appear like that… I must have been drugged." She looked at her dress and frowned, noticing how it was ripped from the bottom and dirty.

"Great, my dress is ruined. And I spent so much on it."

Getting up from her sofa, she limped towards the kitchen, her eyes set on the bottle of painkillers on top of her fridge. Opening the bottle swiftly, she swallowed two pills and leaned against the fridge, hoping that the immense headache would go away soon.

Her mind continued to replay last night's events, specifically how the sand had appeared out of nowhere and killed the man. The expression Gaara had made her uneasy, almost as if he didn't care that he was taking the life away from someone; even if that someone turned into a something that wanted to kill her. The sand though… That's what confused her the most. He hadn't been carrying anything. The sand just appeared and then disappeared. Although she was telling herself that she was probably drugged, Ino knew that wasn't the case. However, that still didn't answer her questions. How did Gaara know where she was? Where did the sand come from? And how did that man know her name?

"I need a shower."

Pushing herself away from the fridge, Ino walked towards her bathroom and quickly took off her ripped dress. Standing in just her bra and underwear, she turned on the water and waited until it was warm. Briefly looking at the mirror, she noticed how her hair was fuzzy and cringed. Definitely not one of her best looks. Testing the water again, she took off her undergarments and walked inside.

Grabbing her shampoo, she immediately began to scrub her hair and body, watching as the water falling from her body and onto the tub was slightly dark. Rubbing her hair slowly, Ino groaned at the small bump on the back of her head. After a couple of minutes of scrubbing, she combed her long hair gently, hoping not to worsen the back of her bruised head.

The sound of her balcony door closing startled her and gently, Ino turned off the water.

_Someone's in my apartment…_

Stepping out of the tub swiftly, she grabbed her pink towel and wrapped it around her body, eyes never leaving the wide-opened bathroom door. Glancing around her bathroom and grabbing the heaviest object she could find, which happened to be her large shampoo bottle, Ino limped towards the bathroom door and leaned against the wall. She heard the footsteps by the living room, almost as if someone was just standing there. If the intruder was in the living room, then that meant she couldn't grab her phone and call the police, as her phone and bag were still sitting on the coffee table.

Ino's eyes widened and her grip on her shampoo tightened as she heard light footsteps approach the kitchen. Although her apartment wasn't small, the bathroom door was between the kitchen and living room; which meant that the intruder would see her. Gulping, Ino thought of a plan as she looked at her shampoo bottle. The bottle still had the majority of its content inside, which meant that when thrown with good force, it could cause some damage. She hoped that the intruder didn't have a gun, but that was a chance she had to take. There was no way she was going to go down easily.

Counting to three, Ino stepped out of the bathroom, throwing her shampoo bottle at the intruder's direction, hearing a small grunt right after. Her long hair got in the way of her eyes, so she failed to get a glance at who the intruder was. But that didn't matter as her eyes were now set on the front door of her apartment. She took a few steps forward before stopping. Her bruised knee pained even more to the point she had to stand on one leg. Looking down, Ino noticed that the previous-white bandaid was now becoming red.

Hearing the footsteps now approach her from behind, Ino grabbed the rolling pin from her kitchen counter and turned around with full force. A hand immediately grabbed her wrist tightly and her eyes widened as was met with Gaara's calm ones. She noticed a small scratch above his left eye and wondered if that was due to her shampoo bottle.

They stood there for what seemed like an eternity with his hand gripping her wrist while she stood on one leg, not wanting to put pressure on her bruised knee. Standing so close to him, she was finally able to read what the tattoo said above his right eye.

_Love… Why would someone get a tattoo that says love?_

Her focus was set on his tattoo that her reflexes weren't fast enough to stop the pink towel from sliding down her wet body and landing by her foot. Ino's eyes widened and she immediately wrapped one arm around her breasts while covering her front with her other hand.

"Don't look!" she screeched, watching as he turned his head to the side.

"I can...grab it for you." Ino heard him say slowly as she failed to grab the cloth while standing on one leg and holding her breasts with one arm.

She looked up at him and saw that he was looking at her face from the corner of his eyes. She gave him a slight nod and watched cautiously as he bent down and grabbed the towel. He continued to face the other way as he stood straight and handed her the towel. Ino grabbed the towel and quickly wrapped it around her body, her eyes never leaving his face.

"Your bandage needs changing." he said, turning his head and looking down at her.

"I can change them. I got it from here, thanks." she said, a bit too quickly.

For a brief moment, she saw his expression changed a bit and she wondered if she had just seen disappointment in his face. Part of her felt bad dismissing him so quickly, considering the fact that it was him who saved her from that man.

Sighing, she placed a strand of hair behind her ear and turned away from him while speaking.

"But...I guess I may need some...help…"

Ino let out a startled yelp as one arm wrapped from behind her back and the other one from underneath her knees. Gaara picked her up effortlessly and she grasped her towel tightly. She was being general when she mentioned needing help. It never crossed her mind that he would take it as her needing help walking, although it felt nice being carried.

Gaara set her gently on the sofa and then crouched in front of her, grabbing her leg and placing it on his lap. She saw his eyes look upward briefly before immediately looking down at her injured knee. Eyebrows furrowing, Ino looked downward and blushed as she noticed that the towel had traveled slightly to the side, revealing a bit too much skin of her private area.

_Glad I got that Brazillian wax a week ago…_

She fixed her towel and watched as he began to remove the bloodied band-aid. Ino made a sound on the back of her throat as she saw the nasty coloring of her knee. While it wasn't bleeding too much, she could see inner tissue turning slightly yellow.

"I have rubbing alcohol and cotton balls in my bathroom. Behind the mirror."

Nodding, Gaara got up and walked towards her bathroom. She heard him come back a couple of seconds later with the things in his hand. Crouching in front of her again, he grabbed her leg and before dipping one of the cotton balls inside the liquid. Ino shifted in pain as he lightly pressed the wet cotton ball on her bruise.

"This hurts more than I thought." she said, watching as he continued to work.

He still wore the same outfit from last night and she wondered if he had even gone home at all. By this time, she had already figured out that it was him who had dropped her home and bandaged her knee.

"Did you know him?" Gaara asked.

Ino wondered who he was referring to at first, then remembering the attack, realized that he was asking about the man who had attacked her.

"He knew your name." he said again while placing a clean band-aid on her knee.

"I didn't know who he was." she replied, "And I don't know how he even knew my name."

Gaara stood as he finished. Once again, his facial expression was unreadable and she wondered what he was thinking. She still had many questions for him; especially towards how he was able to manipulate sand and simply kill that man. She thought it would be best to ask such questions later.

"I still don't know what really happened… But thank you for helping me."

He gave her a slight nod and looked down at her, making her wonder if he had something to say. Ino grabbed on to her towel and squirmed a bit under his gaze, feeling as if he could see right through her towel. He stood closely to her as she sat on the couch with nothing but a pink towel on. As if realizing something, he took a few steps back before walking away towards the front door of her apartment.

"Take care," he finally said before opening the door and walking out.

As soon as she heard the door closed, Ino sighed and laid down on the sofa. She looked at the coffee table and grabbed her purse, pulling out her phone. On her home screen displayed three missed calls: two from Shikamaru and one from her dad. Ino wondered what to tell Shikamaru about last night: that some hairy guy with yellow eyes attacked her and Gaara killed him with sand? Shaking her head, she figured that she might as well tell him that she fell asleep as soon as she arrived home.

The missed call from her father surprised her, considering he had told her almost a week ago that he would be going on a business trip to a location which had no cellphone coverage. Her father's "business trips" always confused her as he was always vague about them and didn't mention much details. Nonetheless, every time he was back, they would always have dinner together and he would even bring her some exciting artifacts from wherever he was.

Noticing that it was already two in the afternoon, Ino decided that it was probably time to start her day.

* * *

Upon getting Gaara's text message, Temari walked out of the bedroom and outside to the backyard, leaving a napping Shikamaru behind. She noticed her brother sitting on the wooden patio table with his feet on the bench, elbows resting on his knees.

"How's Ino doing?" Temari asked as she approached him.

Before falling asleep last night, she had received a text message from him about Ino getting attacked. She had tried to call him numerous times after that, but he had only responded back with a quick text mentioning that she was fine and that he would be staying with her until she woke up.

"She's fine," Gaara replied, staring straight ahead. "The man who attacked her was actually a demon."

Temari's eyes widened. "But I thought they were no longer attacking humans unless provoked? Why would a demon attack her?"

Gaara sighed. "I don't know. What's even stranger was that he knew her name. It's almost as if he was targeting her specifically. Has Ino done any type of witchcraft before? Or maybe interacted with a demon before?"

His sister shook her head as she took a seat next to him. "No. Ino's like any other human. If she had done something out of the ordinary, she would have told Shikamaru by now. He's like her brother. Was the demon strong?"

"No. I managed to kill him quickly."

Temari's eyes widened at his confession. "Gaara, you killed it right in front of her?"

"I had no other choice," he said, this time looking at her. "I couldn't let it get away to possibly hurt her again."

"I'm guessing she saw the sand then…"

"Yes."

"Did she question you on it?"

"No. I think she was too afraid to question me on it. More afraid than usual, at least."

Temari looked down at her feet, feeling sorry for her brother. Although he was closer to Kankuro, it was her who Gaara had admitted to, about a year ago, regarding his curiosity on her blond long-haired friend. Considering he was alone the majority of his life in a different country, Temari knew that talking to girls was something Gaara never got to. As he was growing up and becoming tamer, she wondered what type of girls he would be interested in and figured that it would have to be quiet and reserved ones. However, the moment he had asked her a year ago who Ino was and that he had found her interesting, Temari knew that her little brother was finally acknowledging those types of feelings. Nonetheless, she was aware that Ino felt intimidated by Gaara, even though Temari has told her brother numerous times to smile.

"Gaara," Temari asked, a question suddenly popping in her mind, "How did you manage to be there in time before it killed her?"

"Third eye," he simply responded.

Leave it to her brother to use his ability of generating a third eye to follow Ino home. While the gesture was stalkerish, she was glad that her brother had done it. Nonetheless, she had to teach him how to approach the blond without having to rely on his magical abilities to see what she was doing.

"You need to approach her, next time…. Like a normal person."

"She's too afraid of me." he said, looking at his sister once more.

Temari was about to respond before noticing a small scratch above his eye. "Above your eye, was that from the demon?"

"No, she threw a shampoo bottle at me...without realizing that it was me."

Temari giggled as she imagined the scene in her head. Her brother Gaara, the young man who hosted a demon himself, getting wacked on the head with a shampoo bottle. Usually his sand armor was strong and always on, but considering Ino's shampoo bottle managed to give him a scratch meant that he kept his defenses low around her.

"Ino's very jumpy," Temari advised him, "So try not to be sneaking behind her. She's got pretty good aim."

"I can already see that." Gaara said, getting off the bench. "I'm going to do more research and figure out why it was after her."

Temari watched him leave, knowing that if he were to get too involved, he would have to tell her about the demon sealed within him. And considering Ino was currently afraid of him, Temari feared how she would react knowing the full truth about her brother.

* * *

Inoichi finished typing his email rapidly and closed his laptop. He knew they were near. Grabbing the orb from the box, he stuffed the object inside his messenger bag and quickly ran out of his apartment. The streets near his home were empty, and a feeling of dread crept into his chest.

Taking his keys out, Inoichi jogged towards his motorcycle. If he was quick, he could get there in under fifteen minutes.

Something sharp hit him by his leg and Inoichi dropped onto his knees. Turning around, he saw a sharp weapon shaped like a knife lodged by the back of his leg. Groaning, he pulled it out and looked up as he heard someone laughing and clapping.

A man with yellow eyes and large wings floated over him. "Think you could escape Him?"

"I'm done living in fear. Do your worst, _demon_. I won't give you what you want."

The man flying over him growled and descended, revealing large talons. Inoichi screamed in pain as the talons took hold of his shoulders. Seconds later, Inoichi felt himself ascending from the ground, the keys in his hand dropping on to the ground.

"Let's see if your answer changes once you're in front of Him." the demon said, flying higher onto the night sky.

* * *

**Author's note**: What do you think?

Especial thanks to the following for leaving me a review:Proxy57 (grasias por la revision!), yuli 0911 (grasias!), Nana (guest reviewer),Lebreau Moon ,CreamPuffsx3 & 3 guest reviewers :)

Reviews inspire me to keep writing (as i know whether people are actually enjoying it or not haha). So please leave me a review and I get started on chapter three!


	3. Chapter 3

Inspecting her scarred knee, Ino groaned. It had been almost two days since that fiasco and her knee, although no longer bleeding and hurting, showed a terrible scar of where the bruise used to be. She made a mental note to purchase some scar-removing cream from the pharmacy. There was no way she would be able to flaunt her legs with that horrible scar.

She thought of Gaara and how tender his touch was when applying the band-aid. But a part of her also wondered how he was able to kill that man-thing without any expression or emotion on his face. Nonetheless, he saved her… Did it matter if the thing died?

Sighing, she grabbed her phone and hesitated for a moment. Thinking back from when she last saw him, she remembered how she had thrown her shampoo bottle at him. Surprisingly, he hadn't seemed angry or upset and after he left, but she felt guilty. Not just because she almost hit him with her rolling pin too, but because she never properly thanked him for saving her to begin with. Although Gaara was able to defeat the creature, what if it had hurt him?

Sighing, Ino opened her messaging app and looked for Temari's name. Upon finding it, she nervously texted her friend and clicked sent.

_"Hey Temari. Can you give me Gaara's phone number?"_

She wondered what she would say if Temari asked why she needed it. Truth be told, Ino wasn't even sure what to text the guy aside from a 'thank you'.

To her surprise, her friend replied back instantly with smiley and winking emojis followed by ten digits. Ino had an urge to text back and ask her why the winking emoji, but decided it was probably best she didn't know.

Opening a fresh new message, she entered his number and began to type.

_"Hey, this is Ino Yamanaka. I got your number from your sister. Just wanted to thank you, again, for everything. Also, sorry for hitting you with my shampoo bottle. I didn't know it was you…"_

She clicked Send before backing out and immediately placed her phone face down on her bed. A sense of anxiety hit her as she wondered what he would answer back.

Keeping herself distracted for the next few minutes, she grabbed her laptop and began going through her emails, groaning as she saw more than thirty of them. The first couple of them were mostly advertisements from clothing stores and she immediately deleted them. Until she knew that she wasn't going to get attacked by another man-creature again, there was no point in purchasing beautiful dresses. She was still hurt over the fact that her favorite dress was ruined.

The next email caught her attention and she opened it immediately. Looking at the sender information, she recognized that it was from her father and her eyes quickly scanned the content.

_"Hey Sweet Pea,_

_I just want to let you know that I'm OK. But, I need to be honest with you. I don't have much time to explain the details, but if something bad happens to me or if you don't hear from me in the next two days, please see a priest by the name of Kakashi Hatake. He will explain everything to you. Please be safe and don't hesitate to call the police if you are in trouble. _

_Love you,_

_Dad"_

Ino's eyebrows furrowed, wondering why her father would send her such email. At first, she assumed that maybe it was a prank and someone hacked her father's email account. However, not many people knew that he called her Sweet Pea. This was definitely her father. Although he mentioned to wait two days in case she doesn't hear from him, Ino thought that there was no point in waiting for two days. Something within her told her that it was time to pay her father a visit and make sure he hadn't gotten himself in trouble.

Getting up, she put on her jeans and black shoes. She put on a purple short sleeve crop top that stopped three inches before her belly button. Afterwards, she grabbed her phone and stopped as she saw two new messages from Gaara. She felt butterflies form in her stomach as she opened the new messages and quickly read them.

_"Don't worry about it." _

_"How are your injuries?"_

Biting her bottom lip nervously, Ino texted back rapidly.

_"Feeling much better, just some scarring left. I still have many questions about that night though…"_

She clicked Send and got up, pacing around her bedroom, wondering what he would say. Maybe he wouldn't respond at-

Ino felt her phone vibrate and looking at the screen, saw a new message from Gaara. She opened it quickly and read it.

_"I understand. When the time is right, I can explain."_

She pondered over the sentence. When the time is right? When would be the right time? In addition, she wasn't sure what he would explain: the fact that the man who attacked her turned into some type of creature or the fact that he killed that creature with sand. Her phone vibrated again and she looked down, seeing another message from Gaara.

_"If you sense any danger, don't hesitate to call me. I will be there for you."_

Her cheeks turned bright red as she re-read his last sentence. He would be there for her? Ino wondered why Gaara felt obligated to be there for her, considering they barely spoke in the past and she avoided him whenever he was around. Nonetheless, ever since watching him change her band-aid and tending her wound, she had gotten a good luck at his features and told herself that he wasn't bad looking at all. In fact, he was pretty handsome. His aloofness and neutral expressions, though, was what intimidated her.

Pressing on her phone's screen, she began to type a response.

_"Thank you, that is very sweet of you. However, I don't want you getting hurt trying to protect me. I don't think I would forgive myself. Besides, we barely know each other for you to be risking your life like that for me."_

Send.

Her palms began to sweat as she waited for his response. Sure enough, her phone vibrated again and his new message arrived.

_"Then let me get to know you."_

Ino dropped her phone on the floor as she felt her heart almost escape her chest. He was flirting. Gaara was flirting. The guy who she thought hated her because of his uneasy glances...was flirting with her. Lying down on her bed, she rubbed her eyes, wondering what to say back. Should she flirt back? Although she found him good looking, she wasn't sure if she was ready to date. Not only date, this was the guy who manipulated sand and killed that creature. What if he gets angry at her one day and decides to-

Ino shook her head and sat up, grabbing the phone from her floor. She reread the message a second time and smiled. What did she have to lose?

_"Sure. Maybe we can grab coffee one of these days. Anyway, I have to go check up on my father right now to make sure he doesn't need my protection."_

Before clicking Send, she inserted a smiling emoji.

Ino walked out of her apartment and towards the night, checking the time for the next bus. Living in the city and having everything nearby had its benefits, mostly not having to own a vehicle and deal with that responsibility. In addition, the bus stop was right in front of her apartment building. Her phone vibrated again and checking the screen, she saw another message from Gaara.

_"I can take you."_

Ino wanted to send Yes terribly, but knew she had to control herself. Checking the small screen by the bus stop shelter and seeing that she had another eight minutes to go before it arrived, she began to send a response.

_"It's getting late and my father lives almost an hour away. I'm just checking up on him to make sure he's OK since he hasn't been answering my calls at all lately."_

Sitting by the bench of the bus stop shelter, she looked up at the screen and saw that the bus was coming in seven minutes. Her phone vibrated again and she looked at her screen.

_"Then I will take you. I will be there in ten minutes."_

Leaning back against the glass of the bus shelter, Ino crossed her legs and waited. Pulling up her contacts again, she dialed her father's phone and groaned when she heard his voicemail. So far, she had left him three voicemails, hoping that maybe he would listen to them. Nonetheless, the content of the email that she received from him made her really nervous and she hoped that he didn't do anything illegal.

The bus arrived and Ino watched as people got off. Noticing her, the bus driver held the doors opened but she gave him a smile and shook her head. Shrugging a shoulder in a suit-yourself response, the bus driver closed the door and drove off.

Once the bus was out of sight, Ino heard felt her phone vibrate again and saw a new message.

_"I'm here, across the street."_

Getting up from the bench, Ino looked ahead and saw a black Camaro parked across the street. Crossing the street, she glanced at the vehicle's dark-tinted windows. The car had a sporty look to it and Ino wondered if Gaara raced. Head tilted to the side, she looked through the window and saw his flaming red hair. Sighing, she opened the passenger door and nervously sat in. Glancing at him from the corner of her eyes, Ino saw how he looked away from her, one hand placed on the steering wheel while the other rested on the shift knob.

"Hi," she muttered while putting on her seatbelt.

Gaara simple looked at her and nodded, and Ino immediately thought about how much of a bad idea this was. The guy just nodded at her with those passive teal eyes and Ino wondered if it was too late to let him know that she can still take the bus.

"What's the address?"

Surprised to finally hear his voice, she gave him the address and then watched as he put the car to drive and drove off.

* * *

Inoichi spat blood as he was thrown onto his knees. His ears rang as he felt the blood run down from them. He blinked several times as his head spun.

"Seems like your daughter avoided death, somehow." the figure in front of him said, causing Inoichi to look up.

"Leave her out of this!" he pleaded, wrestling against the chains that constrained his wrists.

"Not when the trace of one of my men has disappeared and your daughter is still alive!" the demon yelled angrily, stomping towards the injured human. "Tell me, what witchcraft is she using?"

"Sh-She knows nothing of that! But please, don't involve her in any of this and kill me instead!"

The demon stared at the pleading farther for a while before laughing. Reaching into the pocket of his pants, he pulled a photo of the blond young woman out. "She's really beautiful. Maybe I should scout her out myself."

Inoichi's eyes widened but before he was able to protest, the demon swung him on the head, causing the man to black out.

* * *

The car ride was awkward. Ino stared through the passenger side window and watched as the city skyline breezed by. They've been driving for almost forty minutes and during that time, neither of them have said a word. During these types of situations, Ino didn't mind being the first one to start a conversation. However, this was Gaara. She still had her questions for him regarding the moving sand and all, but she wasn't sure how to even start such topic. During the car ride, she would briefly glance at him and only once did he look back at her from the corner of his eye.

Ino thought about her father again and sighed, hoping that he wouldn't be in serious trouble. She dialed his number again and groaned when it went straight to voicemail. The mental speech she had prepared replayed in her mind. No more cryptic messages, no more disappearing on her for weeks and then popping up randomly with weird artifacts. No, her old man would get one of those boring nine to five jobs in the city like a normal boring dad.

Ino heard a cell phone ring, realizing soon that it was Gaara's phone ringing. She briefly looked at the screen and saw Kankuro's name displayed. The phone rang a couple more times and Ino looked at Gaara with a raised eyebrow.

"Aren't you going to...pick up?"

Ino flinched at the sudden look he gave her. It wasn't a glare, but it was tense enough to have her lower herself in the passenger seat and keep her mouth shut. Why didn't she take the bus again?

As if sensing her discomfort, Gaara spoke up. "I will call him later."

Ino didn't say anything else, telling herself that after today she would not get near this guy again. His tone was too serious, and the guys she previously dated were all light-hearted and fun. Moral of the story, Gaara seemed like a guy who doesn't do fun.

"We're close." Gaara spoke up again.

Ino sat up straight, looking at the building numbers as he began to slow down. The vehicle stopped in front of the building, and Ino gasped as Gaara parked behind a familiar motorcycle.

"Th-That's my father's bike!" she exclaimed, removing her seatbelt and opening the passenger door.

Ino got out of the vehicle and walked towards her father's motorcycle before facing the building behind her. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the window belonging to her father's apartment opened, the lamp inside of it on. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Gaara pick up a set of keys.

"My dad's motorcycle keys…" she muttered as he placed them in the palm of her hands. "Something doesn't feel right."

Ino marched towards the building, ignoring the uncomfortable sensation in her knee. Her intuition was telling her that something was definitely wrong; that her father probably did something stupid and got himself in trouble. His motorcycle was one of his prized possessions. There was no way he would have left his keys simply lying on the ground for anyone to pick up.

The building he lived in wasn't in good condition. She could smell the weed emitting from neighboring apartment units as she climbed up the steps to his floor. Ino already had a second speech ready for him on his living condition. He earned enough money to get himself out of the city and into a suburban area with a house.

Stopping in front of his unit, Ino was about to unlock the door but was stopped when Gaara's hand grabbed her wrist tightly. Before she was able to question him, she heard a loud crash from inside her father's apartment.

"What's going on-mmm"

Ino flinched as Gaara's other hand appeared from behind her and covered her mouth. With one hand over her mouth, he let go of her wrist but not before wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her backwards towards him, her back hitting his chest. He turned them away from the front door and against the wall.

"There's something in there...and it doesn't seem human." Gaara whispered into her ear.

Ino wasn't sure what to pay attention to - the loud ruscus from within her father's apartment or her inner self screaming at the fact that Gaara had her in a tight embrace from behind and damn did he smell and feel good. She wondered what he would do if she grinded her butt against his crot-

_Damn, when was the last time I was this close to a guy?_

Ino knew that it had definitely been a very long time. Nursing school had occupied the majority of her time, and even though her pink-colored massage toy back in her apartment provided her with the release she needed, it did not provide the man's touch that she felt that she desperately needed.

Another loud bang from within caused her to finally snap out of her thoughts. Ino scolded herself as she heard a deep growl from within the apartment. She heard the footsteps from within fade and suddenly it was quiet.

Shakingly, Ino grabbed Gaara's wrist and slowly pulled his hand away from her mouth.

"Is it gone?" she whispered.

Ino rolled her eyes as she felt him lean closer to her and gently turn the knob. Was Gaara always this touchy with people, especially female friends? She needed to ask Temari. Right now, she had other things to worry about.

"It's empty." Gaara said, unwrapping his arm from her waist but still remaining close to her.

Ino pushed the door open with the flat of her hand, peeping inside.

The apartment was trashed, and her heart sank upon seeing its condition. Quietly, Ino entered, avoiding the shattered glass on the floor. The curtains by the window were ripped, as if something with large claws had taken a beating out of it. Groaning, Ino closed the window and locked it.

She began to pick up some of the items from the floor, discarding the broken pieces into the trash.

"I need to find a priest by the name of Kakashi…" Ino said while carefully discarding the broken plates.

"Why?" Gaara asked.

"My father left me a strange email about not having much time. And that if I don't hear from him, to talk to the priest. I think whatever strange thing attacked me the other day may be responsible for my father's disappearance…"

From the corner of her eyes, Ino could see Gaara walk slowly towards her as she rearranged the cushions on her father's sofa. She desperately wanted to ask him about that night - how he was able to save her and if that was him actually manipulating the sand. But something in the back of her mind was warning her not to do so. That she wouldn't like what she would hear. But did that matter? Her father was out there missing.

Ino turned towards the red-head slowly, her breathing quickened as he stood, once again, right in her personal space.

"I will help you find your father. What attacked you in the alley...was not human."

"Then what was it? A-And how did you manage to kill it?"

Ino waited for an answer impatiently, staring into his teal-colored eyes.

"I saw the sand, Gaara." Ino said, "I saw it appear and then...disappear. How is that possible?"

Again, no answer. Just a blank expressionless glance from him.

"The thing was turning into a monster and you somehow killed it with sand! How is that possible, Gaara? How were you-"

"I will tell you when the time is ready."

His response was cold, and at that moment Ino knew that she didn't want anything to do with him. He wanted to get to know her yet couldn't answer a question? Scary looking or not, he was like any other guy out there.

"Fine then!" Ino spat back, avoiding his stare and determining that she would find her father on her own. She was old enough to buy a gun. If one of those things got close to her, she would just pop a bullet between their eyes. She knew her aim was good. And she also knew that she wouldn't need Gaara's help.

_He can go meet some other chick instead and learn some social manners!_

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks all for reading. Thank you to the following for leaving me a review: yuli 0911, Lazyper, CreamPuffsx3 and a couple of guest reviews.

This chapter was definitely slow, but it'll ramp on next chapter.

Thank you for reading and please leave a review! The quicker I get reviews, the quicker I can start next chapter. Also, please check out my other GaaIno fic The Portal.

Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a long, and rather slow, day for Ino. Although it was rare for days to be this slow at the clinic, she didn't mind having to see less patients today. Mentally, she wasn't in the mood to be dealing with multiple people complaining about different things. Her mind kept going to her father, and she hoped that he was okay. After some digging, she had finally found the priest's contact information and had even reached out.

"You got a patient."

Ino looked up from her phone and nodded at Shizune as the short-haired brunette placed a file on her desk. Opening the file, Ino smiled as she read the familiar name: Misty Mane aka Mrs. Naughty. The woman was well into her eighties with full gray locks and piercing brown eyes. Even though the woman had cancer and knew that her time was up soon, Mrs. Naughty was not one to let anyone or anything stop her from enjoying life.

Holding the file with one hand, Ino knocked softly on the door before opening it and seeing Misty lying down on the hospital bed, glaring at the ceiling

"Good evening," Ino said with a smile, watching as the elderly woman sat up and continued glaring.

"Good evening to you too, Blondie."

Ino ignored the sarcastic way the woman greeted her as she looked over her charts. "Says here you fainted, Mrs Mane."

"It's Mrs. Naughty!" the woman exclaimed before fixing her thinning gray hair, "And yes, unfortunately, I fainted."

Ino sat on the stool next to the bed. "Have you been taking your medication?"

The woman looked away, pouting her lips. Ino rolled her eyes at her before taking out the stethoscope. She shouldn't be surprised at the fact that the old hag wasn't taking her medication - this was her sixth visit to the clinic in just under two weeks.

"And why haven't you been taking your medication, Mrs. Naughty?"

Although the nickname was ridiculous, Ino knew that she had to use it in order to get the stubborn woman talking.

"It's been interfering with my sex life," the woman said lowly, crossing her arms in front of her chest after Ino finished up.

"How so?" Ino asked, while taking the woman's blood pressure.

"It's not letting me feel...excited! I'm sure it's one of those side effects!"

"Your health comes before your sex life." Ino said while noting down more information.

"Look at me!" the woman said, extending her arms out. "I am eighty-five with cancer. You and I both know that even if get cured, old age will end up killing me. So what's the point of taking all of this medication and watching it cause my hair to fall out while I can just enjoy the few remaining years of my life? I swear you young folks complain about life but don't make the time to actually enjoy it."

The woman's words caused Ino to pause from her task. For some reason, her mind went to Gaara. It had been two days since they last saw each other. After that, neither of them had communicated to each other, and the thought made her a bit sad. Although he was quiet and reserved, deep down she knew that she missed his presence.

"I guess us young folks are too busy trying to figure out things in life."

The woman rolled her eyes at her. "Like what? You're young, beautiful, and have a career. What the heck are you moping about? Some rich kid break your heart?"

Ino giggled. Well, Gaara can be considered rich. He was currently overseeing his family's big company. But, he hasn't broken her heart.

"No he hasn't… No, no one has broken my heart."

Mrs Naughty raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so there is a man in the Yamanaka's life?"

Ino knew that she should've kept her mouth shut. The old woman was a gossiper. She loved snooping into people's lives. But then again, no one really knew about her small little adventure with the red-headed man.

"Not...really…."

"And why not?"

"We've only met maybe two or three times…"

"Is he a gentleman?"

Ino remembered how he had rescued her in the alleyway and then how he had driven her to her father's apartment.

"Yes, he is."

"Does he have a career?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"And is he handsome?"

Ino paused. Had the question been asked a year ago, she would have said no. But after spending some time with me, she had to admit that he had an odd beauty. His teal eyes against flaming red hair made him look exquisite.

"...Yes…"

"Then what are you waiting for! For some other girl to take him away?"

Ino bit her bottom lip while finishing up with her patient. The last relationship she had been in ended up terribly and after that day, she had decided to put herself and career first.

Shrugging her shoulders, Ino faced the woman and smiled. "Maybe I'll give him a call later."

Ignoring the way the woman was rolling her eyes at her, Ino mentioned about running some tests on her before exiting the room. It was approaching evening time and she personally couldn't wait to get home. Aside from communicating with the priest, she had also started looking into getting a license for owning a gun. These man-creatures (as she had no other way of describing them) were dangerous and she knew that if she wanted to help her father, she would need something strong.

"Hey Ino, I am going to leave a bit earlier. Need to pick up my niece from daycare. Do you need anything else before I leave?"

"Nope, I'm good. I'll see you tomorrow!"

The short-haired woman nodded before exiting the office. The security guard in front of the office, a short round man with blond hair and brown eyes, nodded at the exiting nurse as he continued munching on his burger.

Ino hated the smell of the burger, and she knew that her opinion of the matter was mostly influenced because she worked in the healthcare industry. She knew that this was Marcus's, the security guard, third burger during the day and all she wanted to do was run up to him and slap the fatty-filled product out of his hands. She had offered to help him lose some weight since he always complained about his security guard uniform fitting too tight. But when she did offer, he would always have some excuse while munching on some fries.

"Guess it's just you and me!" She heard him yell while chewing.

"Yup!" Ino replied back while entering some information in the computer.

For a brief moment, the light flickered and she stopped typing. Looking around as the room regained full energy, Ino shrugged her shoulders and continued her work. She heard Marcus get up begrudgingly.

"I think I need a bigger belt," he said while looking for his flashlight and gun. "I'm going to check the back and make sure that our backup generators are fine."

Nodding as she heard him walk towards the back of the clinic, she finished her task in the computer before taking out some specimen cups. Misty Mane would be her last client of the day and after that, she would go home and-

A sudden screech had Ino stumbling off her chair quickly. She recognized that voice; it was her patient.

Ino quickly ran down the hall, looking up as the lights began to flicker again.

_What the hell is going on?_

As soon as she approached the room in which Misty Mane had been in, the lights went completely out. Opening the door, Ino gasped loudly as she saw a hideous creature standing over the lifeless bloody body of Misty Mane. Ino covered her mouth with her hand as she took a step back, her shoulders trembling.

The creature turned its hideous head towards her and smirked. "You!" it growled.

Ino didn't think twice. Quickly, she closed the door and ran down the hall, screaming as she heard the creature break the door through.

She made a right turn and quickly entered the lab, locking the door immediately before crawling inside one of the closets which held the technician's lab coats. She took out her cellphone and quickly dialed the police, her heart beating fast the line rang three times before a man's voice was heard on the line.

_"Hello, what is your emergency?"_

"The clinic is being attacked-" Ino whispered, quickly stopping at her next word. How could she describe that thing? Its whole head was covered in fur and it stood above six feet tall. She had no idea what the hell it was.

_"Miss, are you still there? We have your address and we're going to send someone over. Is there anyone injured?"_

"Yes, one person is dead. It killed her. Please come so-"

"Oh where are you, my little doll!"

Ino quickly hung up as she heard footsteps right by the hallway.

"Come out and play with me, I won't hurt you!"

Pulling her blond bangs behind her ear, Ino took out her cell phone again and stared at the one contact who she knew could probably help her more than the police. And it wasn't that she didn't trust the police. But were bullets enough for whatever was outside? Taking a deep breath, she opened up a new message and began to text him while recalling what he had texted her before; to reach out to him if she were ever in trouble.

_"Hi Gaara… this is Ino...One of those things is in my clinic…"_

She quickly hit Send and wondered if she should instead call him. What if he changed his mind about being there for her? She had given him an attitude last time they were together.

_"It's 1493 Hospital Dr Way…. Maybe thirty minutes from you…"_

The moment she clicked Send, the door of the lab swung open and she held her breath. She heard the creature take a long sniff and chuckle.

"Oh, I can smell the fear! Where are you, my beautiful barbie?"

Ino bit her bottom lip as she heard him thrash around the room, glass shattering on the floor.

"Hmm, maybe under this table…" he said and Ino flinched as she heard him break the table into pieces.

"Or maybe ... the closet!"

Before even crawling back more into the already confined space, the closet doors were ripped open and his large claw-like hand grabbed her long blonde ponytail. Dropping her phone on the floor, Ino held onto her hair as the creature dragged her out and laughed.

"There you are, think you can hide from me?!"

He let go of her hair and bent down, holding her tightly from her shoulders. Noticing a large piece of shattered glass on the floor, Ino grabbed it swiftly, ignoring as it began to cut the palm of her hand. The man-creature lifted her up straight until she was facing him directly, her feet dangling about a foot from the floor. It sniffed her neck, chuckling as he felt her shiver in disgust.

"Hmm, you smell nice, Barbie. What perfume you use?"

"Go to hell."

Ino winced as he tightened his grip on her arms and laughed. "I like you, little human. Fun and sexy…. I was told you were beautiful, but seeing you in person this close, man I can see why our master wants a piece of this ass. I'm sure he wouldn't mind a little kiss...just between you and me...whatcha say?"

The creature closed its eyes and leaned his head closer to her. Her stomach did turns as she eyed his chapped black lips. Taking a deep breath, she bent her right arm forward and quickly plunged the piece of glass into his right eye.

Pain shot through the creature's head as he dropped Ino on the floor and stumbled back, blood rolling down from his damaged eye.

"Oh...Oh...you stupid bitch!"

Pulling herself up quickly, Ino ran out of the room and towards the exit. She knew that the security guard at least had a gun, and if she could find him, then at least he could shoot the thing inside the clinic until police arrived.

Opening the back door of the clinic, Ino ran towards where the backup generators would be located and stopped as she saw Marcus's unconscious body on the ground.

"Shit… Marcus!"

Kneeling next to the unconscious man, Ino inspected him for wounds and noticed he had none. She felt his pulse and sighed in relief as soon as she felt one. As she was about to reach for his gun, she felt something pull her long hair again and groaning in pain, she stumbled back.

"Well hello there, princess…"

It was a new voice, and more feminine. Looking up, Ino saw a female-looking creature with crazy red hair and yellow eyes. The creature wore rags, but her hairy large feet were exposed.

"I've been waiting for you." the female creature said, crouching in front of her. "My master wants to see you."

"Screw your master!" Ino said, crawling backwards until her back hit Marcus's unconscious body.

The female thing laughed at her as it stood on her hairy legs, watching Ino with mild curiosity.

"It's a shame that I am not allowed to hurt you. Such a pretty face, beautiful body… I wish I could be you…"

Grabbing the baton from Marcus's belt, Ino swung it on the creature's head the moment she noticed her approaching quickly. The creature stumbled back and rubbed her forehead, shocked that such a human could even hurt her.

Fetching the gun as well, Ino began to run towards quiet road. Unfortunately for her, the clinic she worked at was far from the city. It was situated in a small suburban town with nothing but trees nearby. Had she been in the city, she could have shouted for help easily. However, trees surrounded the clinic, making it hard for any person passing by to see that she was in danger.

Ino's blue eyes widened when she turned her head and saw both creatures running quickly towards her. Hands quivering, she stopped running for a moment and aimed the gun at them. She pressed on the trigger and frowned as nothing came out. Quickly checking the loader, Ino cursed as she saw that it was empty.

"He used it on me!" the female creature laughed at her as she ceased her running and walked menacingly towards Ino. "Your fat friend tried to use on me!"

Throwing the gun away, Ino continued to run, ignoring the pain from her previously injured knee. Where was the police?

"Got you!"

The male creature suddenly appeared in front of her, his right eye closed as blood continued to drip from his injury. Ino took a step back, but he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off the ground.

"I should stick this knife right through your eye, just like how you did to me!" he growled.

Ino's smaller hands grabbed his wrist as she felt her body lose oxygen fast.

"Oi, Boss said that she can't be injured! Not yet, at least!" the female creature said from behind her, causing the male one to growl in protest.

"Fine then, I won't hurt her… But let me have some fun with her first…"

The female creature rolled her eyes at her companion.

Ino felt his entire weight on top of her, her stomach dropping in fear as the man grabbed her blouse with two hands and ripped wide open, smirking as he stared at her dark colored bra.

"Make it quick then!" the female creature yelled impatiently, crossing her arms in front of her chest and turning around.

Ino couldn't believe the female. Human or not - she was female. Was she really going to let this thing sexually abuse her? Did she at least not have any compassion?

"You must be tight…." the male one grinned at her.

"Screw you…" Ino said, her voice trembling as she tried to stop the creature from ripping her pants off too.

"Oi, come hold her still if you want me to make it quick!"

Ino watched with wide eyes as the female creature rolled her eyes and crouched by her head. The creature then grabbed her forearms and forcibly lifted them over Ino's head.

_No no no…._

Ino's breathing quickened as the creature, with its two claws, pulled on her jeans, causing the button to rip off. He then slid them off her legs, ignoring her screams.

"Such beautiful skin…." he said, dragging a finger from the top of her chest and down to her abdomen, touching the fabric of her underwear. "I think I prefer from behind though!"

Ino screamed as he grabbed her waist and turned her around roughly, her face making a hard impact with the ground. The female creature continued to hold her arms and Ino closed her eyes shut as she felt the creature's rough talons grab her long ponytail.

Ino had done something she had never sincerely done before. She began to pray. She had treated multiple rape victims throughout her career, and each of them always broke her heart. She had personally bonded with each rape victim and even extended her service by checking up on them for free. But never in her life did she think that she would become part of that group.

Ino cried as she felt her underwear slide down her thighs, the ground sucking up her tears as dirt clung on to her wet cheeks. This is it… Ino closed her eyes again, forcing herself to think of some happy memories. She thought about her father, remembering the time he had bought her a bike when she was five years old and how she had quickly crashed into a tree. He had been busy on the phone and not fast enough to stop her. She remembered she had cried and kicked the bike, blaming it for not stopping even though all she had to do was paddle backward in order for the thing to brake.

"Watch out!"

The grip that the female creature had on her disappeared, causing the blond girl to look up and watch the creature stared at something with wide eyes. She also felt the other creature's weight off of her now and turning around, Ino gasped in relief as she saw the male creature being shoved sideways by sand.

_Gaara_!

The female creature, sharp nails out, ran towards the redhead. Ino immediately pulled her underwear and jeans up, turning around a bit and watching with terror as the female creature was flung backward as well. Ino noticed the expression on Gaara and he looked angry.

Maybe because it was getting darker, but she noticed how much darker his hair was, but his eyes seemed different, almost darker. Not just darker, his irises were a golden-yellow color.

What's going on with his eyes?

Ino watched as the male creature ran at full speed towards him. Unfolding his arms from in front of his chest, Gaara lifted his arm as the sand began to enclose around the male creature. Just as he was about to close his hand into a fist, the female creature flew in front of Gaara with a sword, swinging it at him with full speed.

Although his sand was able to stop the attack, his concentration had been lost for that moment, causing the male creature to escape from the sand.

"I'll kill him! You go take the bitch!"

The female creature nodded before eyeing the blond girl just a few yards away from them.

The male creature growled at the redhead in front of him, feeling his muscles grow as he transformed into his final form. He now had a long sharp tail, bigger claws, and his face resembled more of a wolf. He let out a long howl before launching at Gaara, cursing as the smaller man suddenly turned into sand.

Hitting the ground hard, the creature turned around before suddenly feeling sand grab him by the neck and lift him upwards.

"What the heck are you?" the creature demanded, punching the sand around him but cursing as it still remained there.

"Why are you after her?" Gaara asked.

The creature smirked. "I'm just following orders."

"From who?"

The demon laughed before gasping for air as the sand around his neck got tighter. He knew he was going to die, but before doing so, he needed to know more. "Tell me, are you a demon? Your eyes.. They are unnatural for a human… You must hold a deep dark secret…"

Gaara's eyes narrowed, his teeth clenched as he lifted his second arm. It's been a while since he felt this thrill…. The thrill of having his sand cover someone completely before crushing their bones into pieces. Yes, he had done the act on the first demon that had attacked Ino, but this demon right here was much stronger. It gave Gaara a challenge, and it's been a long while since Gaara had a challenge. It felt good.

He heard the first pop of the demon's bone break, and he felt the beast within him groan in pleasure. Yes, he needed more. A second pop, and Gaara felt his beast stir within.

Yes, it definitely has been a very long time since he had done this. Instead of shattering the creature's leg, Gaara instead decided to wrap his sand around it and pull the appendage out, hearing the loud painful scream from the demon in front of him echo through his ears. Blood poured onto the ground like a waterfall, and he felt Shukaku stir within again. It wanted to come out and play too. And for a second, Gaara wanted to let him out-

A familiar loud feminine scream snapped Gaara back to his senses, causing him to whip his head around.

Ino had watched the whole scene in horror. Gaara's eyes, once a mysterious teal color, were completely black with yellow irises. She had been so busy watching as he controlled the sand and mutilated the male creature's body with it that she had not noticed the female demon grab her by the shoulders and suddenly lift her upwards towards the sky.

Ino screamed as she saw the ground suddenly yards away from her as she heard wings flapping. The female creature flew higher and higher with Ino in her talons.

The blonde nurse held on to the creature's talons, afraid of being dropped. She looked up at the sky, watching as the clouds passed by them quickly.

Something happened as suddenly the creature's grip on her shoulders loosened. The creature turned her head and cursed, her wings flapping against the sand suddenly constraining her.

"Screw this!"

The female creature suddenly opened her talons, causing Ino to quickly slip off her grip and fall down.

Ino wanted to scream, but she felt as if she was swallowing the air while descending at a fast speed. Her long blond hair, now out of its usual ponytail, waved everywhere, blocking her view of the ground underneath. But just as she thought she would land on a tree, she felt strong arms wrap around her body and something solid was suddenly underneath her feet.

Still keeping her eyes closed shut, Ino wrapped her arms around the familiar neck as she felt herself descend slowly now. She knew she was breathing loudly against his ear.

She knew that her long locks was probably a mess now. But at that moment, Ino didn't care. All that mattered was that her feet were finally touching solid ground. And even after finally landing, she still held on to him.

And suddenly, she began to cry. She buried her face against his neck, afraid of him seeing her dirty sobbing face. At that moment, she didn't care that her shirt was ripped wide opened, revealing her black bra, and her jeans hung low by her hips. But one thing Ino didn't like was other people, especially men, see her cry.

"Ino," Gaara called her name softly, placing one hand on the middle of her back as she trembled against his body. He didn't move her from where she stood, mostly because he enjoyed feeling her form close to his. It was something he always thought about when thinking about her.

After some time, Ino pulled away and apologized while keeping her head low. Even though her blouse was ripped, she still pulled it together in order to hide her bra. Good thing her brassiere was of good quality. Last thing she wanted was the lacy piece of clothing ripping on her and giving a view to everyone.

"Are you injured?" he asked.

"..N-No.. A little…" Ino responded.

She felt sore, and knew that she probably had some bruises around.

"Let's go inside then," Gaara said, watching her nod her head.

Ino suddenly stopped as she remembered someone. "Shit! Marcus!"

Gaara looked at her confusingly. "Who?"

"He's the security guard from my clinic. He was attacked too. We need to get him inside."

"Where is he?"

"Around the back," she replied, holding onto her ripped blouse while quickly walking around the building.

Upon seeing his still unconscious form, she turned around slightly to her redheaded savior.

"He's...um...kinda...really big..so I can bring a wheelchair and we can roll him inside."

Ino watched carefully as Gaara stood over Marcus's three-hundred plus pound body. She knew he was strong, but that was mostly due to his sand. There was no way-

"It's fine," Gaara said before leaning down and grabbing Marcus's arms.

Ino gaped as she watched him carry the large man's body over his shoulder. Gaara gave her a questioning look and shaking her head quickly, Ino opened the door for him as he entered the messy building.

"You can put him here," Ino said, opening the door to the nearest room and watching as Gaara walked inside and towards the bed.

The room was the first room within their paths, and she felt bad seeing him having to carry the large security guard as if he was a sack of potatoes. After placing him on the bed, Gaara turned his attention towards her.

Although his teal eyes were back, Ino felt intimidated again. She had seen him almost become a different person, and that right there spooked her. "I… Let me go change…" she said, spinning on her heel and quickly walking out of the room.

The clinic was a mess, and she knew that Lady Tsunade, owner of the place, wouldn't be happy.

Walking towards the locker room, Ino unlocked her locker and pulled out an extra pair of clothing. She had learned the hard way from past experiences to always have an extra pair of clothing in hand as some patients could get very messy. Although she mostly wore scrubs at work, there were times she dressed normal, especially on the slow days.

She changed into a pair of black tights and purple blouse, groaning as her muscles become more and more sore. After changing, she stood in front of the mirror and sighed. Her long hair was all around her head and she had some dirt smudged near her face. Turning on the faucet, she watched her face, feeling the dirt come off through her fingertips. Afterward, she grabbed her comb and began to fix her hair. Not having extra hair ties, Ino left her hair down.

"Hello? Police here!"

Ino walked out of the room and saw two officers walking around the messy clinic, guns pointing downwards.

"Miss, are you hurt?! What happened here?"

Ino wanted to roll her eyes at the pair. They were late. Even if their guns were no match for the two creatures, at least they could have appeared much earlier.

The men looked shifted their gaze as she heard Gaara slowly walk out of the room he had placed Marcus in.

"I'm fine," she lied. Her body was sore, especially her shoulders and waist. "Two crazy people came in and attacked us. The security guard is alive but unconscious and one of my patients was murdered."

"Where are they now?" one of the officers asked, looking around frantically.

"They left," Ino said after some time. She wasn't sure if the lie would hold, but what could she say? That some hairy beasts came out and attacked them? And that one of them had wings?

"We'll need to grab statements from both of you."

After what seemed like hours on explaining to the officers what happened, Ino had to relay the information to her furious boss. Tsunade, being the bossy strong woman she was, had stormed into the clinic and demanded the officers to find the culprits and bring them to her. After yelling at the officers to do their job, the woman had calmed down and asked Ino if she was okay and to take the next few days off. Although the large-breasted woman was strict, Ino couldn't have asked for a better boss. Tsunade had taught her everything, and she saw the manager as her idol.

Ino watched sadly as they wheeled Misty Mane's dead body out in a large black bag. Guilt hit her hard. Those things had been after her. The elder woman, already suffering with cancer, didn't deserve to have her life cut short by some beast. She wiped a tear with the back of her hand as the two men lifted the gurney into the ambulance and closed the back doors shut.

"Get some rest, Ino." Tsunade commanded. "I'm going to file some paperwork."

"I'll see you in a few days. Call me if you need anything."

The woman nodded at her while taking out some files from a cabinet.

Grabbing her purse and now cracked phone, Ino walked out of the clinic. Opening the glass doors, she spotted Gaara standing outside with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Sighing loudly, she approached him and watched as he turned his head towards her. His eyes seemed soft, and it did nothing but make her more nervous.

Clearing her throat, Ino looked down at the ground. "Um...th-thank you for saving me...again. I...I don't know how to repay you… This is the third time you saved me… a-and…"

Looking up, Ino flinched as she took notice how he was suddenly standing right in front of her, leaving a two-inch gap between them. She must have been blabbering and hadn't noticed how he had approached her.

"You don't need to thank me," Gaara replied and Ino quickly felt bad.

"I think I owe you a coffee date," Ino replied, giving him a slight smile as she recalled their text exchange.

Gaara tilted his head slightly, eyeing the small bruises on her skin. "Let's get you home."

Ino shook her head. "I think I may stay at a hotel for a night or two…. I'm...scared of one of those things breaking into my apartment in the middle of the night."

"Stay with me," he said, and she raised an eyebrow at him. "It'll be safe."

"Gaara, that's a big ask." Ino said, "I can't have you protecting me like this all the time. You can get hurt...and…"

Ino stopped talking the moment Gaara grabbed her right hand, looking at it while tracing his thumb over her knuckles.

"I was serious about wanting to know you more, Ino Yamanaka." he said, lifting his head so he could face her again.

Ino's stomach did backflips as she remembered Misty's final words to her. Life was too short.

His touch, although not rough, sent chills down her spine. Nodding her head, she muttered an okay. As curious as he was about her, she was also curious about him. And not just because of the sand, but because of him as a person.

"Let's go then," she said, but then stopped, turning her head around. "Wait, how did you get here? I don't see your car…"

"The sand," Gaara replied.

Ino suddenly remembered how he had created some type of sand platform and levitated in the air. It was how he was able to save her from the flying creature.

"It was the quickest way to get here." he added.

Ino looked at their hands, feeling his thumb rub her palm in a reassuring way. He hadn't let go of her hand and to her surprise, she didn't want him to let go.

"Is that how we're going to get back?" she asked while allowing him to pull her away from the clinic and towards the wooded area near it. It was the same spot where she had been almost raped. Also the spot where her redheaded saviour had appeared.

Gaara turned his head towards her slightly before looking back in front of him. Ino took that as a yes.

"I guess you're not a fan of public transportation," she said lowly, and his head turned towards her again.

Once they were further away from the clinic and in the middle of the dense area, Gaara stopped by her side.

"Won't someone see?" she asked.

"It's nighttime. Besides, I'll make sure to be at an altitude where no one can see."

Ino's stomach dropped. High altitude? No, she couldn't do this. She rather stay with Tsunade and watch the older woman beat the next creature that tries to attack her.

"I can't." Ino said, shaking her head. "I don't like heights."

"I won't drop you."

"You may not, but the feeling of being that high up in the sk- GAARA!"

Ino's feet no longer touched the ground as he quickly picked her up bridal style.

"You may want to hold on." he said.

Ino's arms were quickly wrapped around his neck as she felt her body start ascending. She knew that she could trust him with not dropping her, but that didn't help with her fear of being high above the sky with just two arms holding on to her.

The air became colder as he reached higher, and Ino felt as if she had no choice but to snuggle her face on the crook of his neck. The moment she did, his grip on her tightened.

"Ino, I'm not going to drop you." Gaara said to her.

"What if we get hit by a plane?" she yelled, her face still buried in his neck.

Had she been looking at him, she would have seen the way the corner of his lips twitched slightly for a brief moment.

"Then I'll just get out of the way."

Was he serious? He'll just get out of the way?

Ino trembled as the cold wind brushed against her skin. Sensing her quivering form, Gaara summoned more sand to wrap around them, leaving just a slight opening in front for him to see.

Feeling warmer, Ino opened her eyes and lifted her head up, looking around and seeing them mostly surrounded by a dome made out of sand.

"Better?" he asked, and she smiled at him.

Although she finally felt warmer, Ino rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She could get used to this.

...

Ino rarely dreamt, but when she did, it was of hot muscular men feeding her grapes and massaging her feet. However, her dream now was completely different ...and strange. She dreamt that she had been flying through the clouds. It was a silly dream, but it made her happy.

So when she suddenly felt the cloud underneath her feel somewhat harder, Ino's eyes fluttered open and she looked up, noticing a ceiling fan above her. Rubbing her eyes roughly, she stared at the ceiling fan for a while. She didn't remember her bedroom ever having a ceiling fan.

Turning her head left and right, Ino's eyebrows furrowed as she noticed the plain white walls and one window. The room was dark, and the only thing inside (aside from the bed she was lying on) was a dresser and a closet. Remembering everything, she quickly figured that this was Gaara's room.

Sitting up from the bed, she noticed the light coming from underneath what looked seemed like the bathroom door. Getting up from the bed, she walked quietly towards the door, wondering if someone was inside. She desired a hot shower at the moment. Different parts of her body still felt sore.

The door opened and Ino jumped back slightly, watching as some steam came out before revealing a half naked Gaara. He had a dark blue towel wrapped around his hips and his hair was dripping wet, clinging to the side of his face.

Curiously, Ino stepped closer to him and with her fingers combed his hair back. Tiptoeing in order to comb his wet locks back, her hands trembled as her chest brushed against his naked one. Her face flushed a bit as Gaara simply watched her.

Upon finishing with her task, she frowned and shook her head. Quickly, she began to undo the hairstyle.

"Nope! You look much better with your hair sticking out!"

"I'll keep that in mind," he replied, and Ino giggled. They were still standing close, and the proximity allowed him to grab a strand of her hair.

Ino looked at his hand as he twirled the blond strand around his finger before looking at his face.

"Do you want to use the bathroom?" he asked, his gaze still on his hand as he slowly toyed with the ends of her hair.

"Yeah, I need a shower. I feel sore all over…"

"There's an extra clean towel inside," he said, walking around her and heading towards the chest of drawers.

Nodding at his bare back, she headed inside the bathroom.

His bathroom was surprisingly clean. Bad past experiences had left her staying away from bathrooms that were occupied mostly by men.

Removing her clothing, she turned on the water, extending her hand out to feel the water get to the temperature of her liking. After a few seconds, she stepped inside and exhaled as the warm water splashed against her body. Not wanting to smell like men, she grabbed the conditioner instead of the soap and poured a bit in her hand. Using her hands, she rubbed the milky-white liquid all over her body. Upon touching her lower back, she stopped as the memory of being thrown face down with her pants and underwear lowered appeared. Had Gaara arrived seconds later, she knew that that creature would have raped her on the spot, and such thought suddenly made her tremble in fear.

...

It was his first time bringing a female home, and he was glad that Kankuro and Temari were out at the moment. His dark past kept him away from most, and he only interacted when he had to. It was one of the reasons why he had never bothered with forming any types of relationships; why he never bothered with the idea of love.

But that had all changed when he first met her. He had visited his siblings during that time and saw her, wearing a purple sundress with her pulled into a high ponytail. Despite his neutral expression, it was the first time he felt his heart beat faster. It was the first time that Shukaku stirred within him after a long time.

He knew that she was afraid of him the moment she laid eyes on him, and he at first wondered if it was because she was able to sense the beast within him. Nonetheless, he had continued to glance at her. To him, she was breathtaking.

Seeing her attacked by the two demons caused him to almost lose control of his inner demon. But the last thing he wanted was Ino to see him turn into the monster that people feared. Restraining Shukaku took a lot of effort on his part, but he didn't care. He didn't want to scare her away, not when he was finally able to approach her.

Walking back to his room, Gaara opened the door to immediately find the girl of his thoughts leaning sideways against the wall while facing the window. She had a dark green towel wrapped around her body, and her hair was dripping wet. Not bothering with turning on the light, he closed the door and walked over to her, immediately sensing that something was wrong.

Ino heard the room door open and close, and she quickly wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. After her shower, she had decided to look out the window a bit, but her mind kept going to the attack of earlier today. She cried as she remembered Misty Mane's body. She cried while remembering how she had been tossed and turned around before being almost sexually abused.

"Ino,"

Wiping the tears again, she cleared her throat and turned around, meeting Gaara's concerned look.

"S-Sorry, I was just...thinking..about today...and…" She didn't finish her sentence and instead turned back towards the window.

Gaara knew that she was hiding from him, knew that she didn't want him to see her cry. But he didn't care.

Gently, he stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. It wasn't a tight hug, but it was a way of letting her know that he was there.

Ino was surprised at the sudden contact, but she didn't mind one bit. Instead, she leaned her head back on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"I was almost raped… That thing almost had me… I'm scared of being alone… I'm scared that one of them will appear and get me… That next time, I won't be as lucky."

Gaara listened to her words. While flying back to his home with her slumbering in his arms, he had thought about how many demons he would have to kill in order to keep her safe. At the end, it didn't matter. He would kill them all. Nonetheless, Gaara still wasn't sure why she kept on getting attacked, but knew it had something to do with the disappearance of her father. He knew that she wasn't familiar with the underground world; how demons were able to look like humans and coexist alongside them. In addition, she also wasn't aware of the dark practice that takes place every couple of years. The dark practice that gave him Shukaku….

Ino turned her head towards him, the left side of her head pressed against his shoulder as she watched his chin before eventually looking up in order to see his face. His hair was now dry, coming back to its normal look.

Gaara turned his head towards her, their faces now merely inches apart. Misty Mane's words rang through her head again: life IS too short. And feeling bold for the first time in a while, Ino tiptoed and pressed her lips against his.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you everyone for leaving reviews! I know chapter 3 was short, but I am hope that this makes up for it :)

Please let me know what you thought about this chapter. Reviews inspire me to keep going!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4 quick summary: Ino gets attacked at work by 2 demons, Gaara arrives & kills one of the demons. The other demon (a female flying one) manages to escape. Gaara takes Ino to his home. Chapter ends with her giving him a kiss...

* * *

He wasn't sure what to do at first. He had never kissed anyone before. It was an action he never really thought about before meeting Ino. But that didn't stop Gaara from eventually kissing back.

Ino knew that her impulsive decision to kiss him was mostly because he had saved her from something that she probably would never get over. However, feeling his lips on hers ignited an excitement that she had not felt since...well...never.

To her quick surprise, she felt his hands holding her hips firmly before lifting her up. Not wanting to break the kiss, her legs acted on their own and wrapped themselves around his waist. With his hands now holding the back of her thighs, Ino wrapped her arms around his neck before breaking the kiss for some air. Although the room was dark, he was still able to take them to the bed without tripping over anything. Her back made contact with the mattress softly as he crawled over her and placed a hand on her cheek.

She felt her desire for him growing as his touch lingered near her thigh, and she wasn't sure if that was his way of asking for permission or just being nervous. She gave him a reassuring smile as her hands undid the knot on her towel, watching as his eyes trailed from her face to her chest.

"Gaara,"

His eyes met hers in response, and Ino sat up. Her right hand grabbed the top of his pants, gently tugging him down on top of her. His eyes continued to look at her, causing nervous butterflies in her stomach as she bit her bottom lip in anticipation. While she was no longer scared of the way he looked at her, it still caused her to second-guess her actions.

Eventually, his look softened a bit and Ino felt one of his hands grab one of her thighs as he made himself comfortable between her legs. The corner of his lips slightly tilted upwards, and Ino knew that it was going to be an interesting sleepless night…

* * *

The female demon screeched in pain as he threw her against the wall, her body slamming onto the floor afterwards. She felt blood by the side of her head, and knew that her master was just getting started with her. She tried to crawl away from him, but then his clawed hands grabbed her by her hair and pulled her back.

"You're tell me that you couldn't have brought a fucking human girl over here!?"

"Sh-She wasn't alone!" the female demon said in response, shielding her face from being punched again.

The male demon sneered at her. "What? You telling me that a fat security guard was too much for you!?"

She shook her head frantically. "No no no! Th-There was another man! He was not a demon! But he possessed powers like one! He manipulates sand!"

Her master looked at her with confusion while thinking of any enemies that he knew which could possess such power. Despite having lived for hundreds of years, none came to mind.

"Describe him to me!" he demanded, watching as the female demon nodded.

"H-He has red hair! Looks fairly young! I-I didn't get a good look at his face, b-but he was strong!"

The demon let go of her hair, causing her to fall on the floor hard. He turned towards his guards, his fangs flashing in anger.

"Bring her father to me! He has some explaining to do!"

* * *

Ino woke up with the sudden urge to urinate. Opening her blue eyes, her mind quickly rewinded to the actions of last night and her face flushed.

The moaning…

Bodies slamming…

The need for more...

_Shit… I had sex with Gaara…_

Oh, and it wasn't just the sex that had her blushing like some damn school girl. It was the fact that after the first round, sometime afterwards, she had climbed on top of him and gone for round two. And he had enjoyed that even more.

Ino shook her head to get those images out of her head. She had to start her day and look for her father.

"Gaara?" Ino called, waiting for a response but not getting any.

Getting up from the bed, Ino grabbed her phone and tiptoed towards the restroom.

Setting her phone on top of the sink, she quickly used the toilet before hopping into the shower. Although she didn't know what time it was, she knew that it was probably late considering how bright the sun was shining.

Getting out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around her body and looked at herself in the mirror. Almost immediately her eyes landed on the bright red spots on her neck, and she remembered the bites Gaara had given her. While she couldn't lie and say that she didn't enjoy them, part of her wondered if the man had fangs. The first time he bit her, it felt normal. The second time though had made her almost push him away. His teeth had felt sharper.

Shaking her head at the memory, Ino grabbed her phone and felt a feeling of disappointment as she saw no text from Gaara. Considering it was noon, she had hoped that he would have left her something. Heck, even a damn sticky note with a 'be right back' would have sufficed. Considering he had wanted to get to know her, he was terribly failing at it.

"Hm, guess I was just a booty call for him. Whatever, I need to focus on finding my father now!"

Ino exited the bathroom and searched for yesterday's clothes, quickly changing before exiting the bedroom.

The house was quiet as Ino walked around it before exiting it completely. She knew that she had to get to her home in order to brush her teeth and change her clothes. But she was no longer going to let her guard down. Gaara wouldn't be able to save her every time, and what if he didn't want to after some point? These monsters attacking her were her problem; she couldn't blame him if he wanted to step away.

With that determination, Ino left the house and quickly headed towards the nearest gun shop.

Growing up, she had never imagined wanting to own a gun. She would always watch debates regarding gun ownership but had never bothered with forming an opinion about it. At that time, her world consisted mostly of finishing her degree, getting to work, and making money. But now, things were serious and she knew that she had to load up.

The gun store she entered wasn't large. It had different types of guns behind the counter top.

"Good afternoon, miss," a short man said, "How can I help you?"

"I would like to purchase a gun,"

"OK, well we have a great variety of them. Anything specific?"

Ino furrowed her eyebrows confusingly. Unfortunately, she knew absolutely nothing about guns. "Something...small?"

The man gave her a genuine smile. "I'm guessing that you aren't familiar with guns,"

"I'm not," she replied with a sigh, "But I need it for protection."

The man gave her a nod. "Oh, I understand! My granddaughter is about your age and I've been teaching her how to use these bad boys ever since she was five years old! People may want to ban guns, but they don't realize that these are what can save them and their families from these street thugs!"

Ino nodded, wanting the man to stop his rant and show her what type of guns he owned.

"Now, since you're not familiar with guns, I can start you off with a revolver. It holds six bullets and can fit easily inside a small purse. Why don't you hold it? Don't worry, it's not loaded! Feel free to press on the trigger and see how that feels."

Ino grabbed the small weapon nervously and pressed on the trigger, imagining pointing at it towards one of the monsters. Considering those beasts had tough skins, she worried that the revolver wouldn't be enough. She needed something stronger.

"Do you have anything bigger?"

The man nodded while pulling out a case. "This one here is popular with the young ladies. It's a compact gun and holds twelve bullets. Wanna give it a try?"

Ino nodded and he led her towards the back of the shop, which contained a small shooting range. Large wooden planks with white circles were situated on one side of the room.

The shop owner took a couple of minutes to show her how to load and hold a gun. He then gave her the weapon and watched as she stood behind a white line on the floor.

Raising her arms, Ino pressed her finger lightly on the trigger as she eyed one of the white circles. Her blue eyes narrowed and she imagined one of the terrible creatures standing there, taunting her. Feeling her heart beat faster as a wave of anger swept through her, Ino pressed the trigger and barely flinched as the loud pop noise went through the room. Seconds later, she saw the wooden plank fall to the floor. The owner jogged towards it and picked it up, whistling as he turned the wooden plank towards her to see.

"Well damn! You have a better aim than me, and I'm military trained! You sure you've never used a gun before?"

"Wasn't really crazy about guns before," she said with a shrug, "But I'm finding it necessary nowadays."

"Ain't nothing wrong with that! You ready to purchase it or do you want to try something different?"

"Hm, would it be OK if I kept practicing for a bit?"

"Sure! I'll be in the front so let me know when you're ready!"

* * *

Inoichi jerked up as he felt frigid cold water splashed all over himself. His hands were tied tightly behind his back. He felt the light in the room turn on, his eyes squinting at the sudden brightness. It took time for him to adjust to it.

"Looks like you've been keeping something else from us,"

Inoichi looked up confusingly. "Wh-What are you talking about?"

"Your daughter," the male demon said, kneeling in front of him as Inoichi sat up from the dirty floor, "Seems to have a guardian...someone who may not be totally human after all. Not a demon either..."

The man's eyes widened. While he was glad to hear that his daughter was safe so far, the idea of her being near someone who somehow had ties to the demon world worried him. While raising her, he always made sure to shield her away from some of the ugly truths that this world contained. And even if this person wasn't dangerous, it still bothered him.

"Tell us more about him! Seems like he's been the one killing my demons whenever they try to hunt your daughter down."

Inoichi shook his head. "I do not know what you are talking about! If my daughter is with someone who's...who's different...then she didn't tell me! But please, don't hurt her. She has nothing to do with this-"

The demon punched him across the face, his red eyes burning with anger as he glared at the unconscious human now lying on the floor.

"I've had enough of his bullshit," the demon said, turning around and eyeing his followers, "Bring his daughter and this mysterious person to me! I want to fight him...see how strong he is...He wouldn't be a bad addition to my army,"

"But master, what if he refuses? He seems protective of the girl," the female demon said.

"Then I'll kill him,"

* * *

Ino had been done with her shower and getting dressed when the knock on her door came in. Turning off the blow dryer, she grabbed her gun and silently tiptoed towards the door. Even if a creature would be kind enough to simply knock, Ino wasn't going to take any chances. She wasn't going to let some monster win without a fight.

She checked through the peephole nervously, releasing a sigh of relief as she saw the familiar red-haired man standing on the other side. The finger on the trigger relaxed as she unlocked the door.

"Hey," she said with a timid smile, telling herself not to think about the glorious sex she had with him just last night. But yet again, how could she not when this was the first time she was seeing and talking to him since then?

"Hi,"

"...Wh-What are you doing here?"

His gaze studied her for a second. "I came here to see you,"

"Oh, well come in then!"

Entering her apartment, Gaara's eyes went from her face to the object behind her back as she tried her best to keep it hidden from his view.

"You have a gun?"

"Yeah," she replied, telling herself that Gaara was unique and would sense something was off about her quicker than she would realize, "I got it today. Figured that it would come in handy whenever one of those bastards decide to come after me again,"

Gaara tilted his head to the side a bit before taking it from her hand, the act startling her. "This...won't be enough. Their skins are very tough... A bullet won't do enough damage if your aim is to kill them,"

"Well, it'll be enough for me to use until police arrive...or something,"

Gaara didn't reply as he placed the weapon on her kitchen counter and stepped closer to her until their bodies touched. The act reminded her of last night's events, and her face heated up. His face was close to hers as he spoke lowly.

"Do you not trust me to protect you?"

Ino gulped as his eyes searched hers for an answer. "N-No...I mean… I do trust you… But Gaara, these monsters are after me for some reason that's connected to my father. While I appreciate you saving me multiple times, this is my problem to figure out. You have your own life to live and-"

Ino did not expect his sudden reaction, her eyes wide as he gently grabbed the back of her head and closed the gap between them. His lips captured hers in a hungry manner, and Ino felt her legs turn into jelly. Last night's events swirled through both of their minds. His hands traced down her back before sneaking inside her shirt as her arms wrapped around his neck. A soft moan escaped her lips as he deepened the kiss, his tongue brushing against hers.

"Bedroom," Ino whispered against his lips as he picked her up and carried her there.

The next hour was a repeat of last night's actions. But instead of hot, fast and steamy, they took their time exploring each other's bodies, finding new things that would escalate each other's pleasure.

_**Three hours later…**_

Kakashi knew who she was the moment she entered his church. This new generation of young adults barely stepped inside his establishment, but he didn't really care. As a matter of fact, he barely cared about who exactly entered his church. His decision to become a priest was something he felt that he had to do in order to clean his bloody history.

The young woman looked exactly like her father - long blonde hair and blue eyes. Even their facial expressions were similar. But it wasn't her that had him almost drop the bible to the floor. It was the red-haired man that accompanied her that surprised him. He could sense something was different about the young man, and seeing how his teal eyes narrowed back at him, Kakashi knew that this man was no ordinary human.

"You must be Kakashi, the priest," the young lady said with a small smile.

The man nodded. "Yes. And you must be Ino."

"I am. I'm assuming that you've been expecting me to come?"

She was a smart woman, Kakashi mentally concluded. "Yes, and we can get straight to the point. I know you have a lot of questions regarding your father's whereabouts and who have him,"

Ino nodded. "I've been getting attacked by these monsters and I know it has something to do with my dad. I just need to know where he is, who has him, and why."

"Well, I can only answer two of the three questions," Kakashi replied, his eyes quickly looking at Gaara's before facing her, "To put in simple terms… There's a dark organization out there that your father has been acquainted with for a little over twenty years. Not too sure how he met them or even started working with them, but shortly after he was their go-to guy for searching antique artifacts. One of the artifacts he retrieved for them was an orb that if not handled properly can release some dark magic,"

Ino looked at him confusingly. "Magic? This sounds...ridiculous. No offense, Father Kakashi."

"Oh don't worry about me, I'm not offended. Just know that this may all sound fake but I'm sure you've already seen what these monsters are capable of."

Ino didn't reply as she recalled all of the creatures she encountered so far. She remembered how they would transform from humans into monsters with fur and claws. The female one even had wings.

Just what the heck did her father get into?

"Why do they have him? And where?"

"Where… I do not know. But they have him because the orb won't work without a crucial piece."

"And what is that?"

"A gold key. This key unlocks it and so far, only your father knows where it is. Instead of giving them the orb, your father decided to destroy it instead… But seems like he was caught before he could do so,"

Ino remained silent as she finally realized why her father would take long trips to strange areas. He was scavenging items for these creatures. And now that he wouldn't give them something, they were after her.

This golden key that the priest spoke about sounded familiar to her. After a couple of seconds of deep thinking, she suddenly remembered a golden key that her father had sent her via mail not too long ago. It had come in a small box with just a simple message - Keep it hidden until I tell you about it. At that time, she hadn't thought much about it and placed the box somewhere deep in her closet.

"Anyway," the priest continued, "your father has left some items here for me to give you. It's in the back room just right there. It's all inside a wooden box. Feel free to take a look,"

Ino nodded and headed towards the room, mentioning to her red-haired companion that she would be back shortly.

The priest watched as the man, who stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest, gave her a small nod. Kakashi studied him for a few seconds, and he knew that the younger man standing across from him knew that as well.

"Does she know," the priest started, "About what you are? Or...what you have?"

He watched as the man's teal eyes narrowed, but he still didn't address his question. Kakashi took the opportunity to press him more.

"I'm guessing not. However, I can smell your scent on her… Tell me, what are your intentions? Is it so other demons know that you've claimed her? Or... You have something else in mind, Jinchuuriki?"

Gaara glared at him, and for a second Kakashi wondered if he would strike him in the middle of a holy place.

"I can still sense the blood of those you've murdered before. What are your true intentions hiding inside this church, Priest?"

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you SO MUCH for those who reviewed the last couple of chapters. I know it's been a while since I updated! I want to finish Roommates first and then focus on this one. But I think Roommates needs a small break and I figured might as well update this one.

Anyway, please let me know what you think by leaving a **Review**!


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